Kimberley - The office of the Northern Cape premier has defended the purchasing of bulk copies of The New Age (TNA) newspaper by provincial government departments, saying that it was their duty to inform the public of the “work of government”.
The Northern Cape provincial government is reportedly spending R500 000 a month in purchasing copies of the paper, which is then distributed to government offices free of charge.
Opposition parties as well as members of the public said they perceived TNA as being pro-government, where it was not holding the ruling party accountable on issues of corruption, fraud, the abuse of power and service delivery.
Cope MPL and national chairman Pakes Dikgetsi said government departments had become the dumping ground for the TNA.
“The legislature is strewn with copies in every corner. This is another example of corruption and wasteful spending.
“Expenditure on communications in the Office of the Premier alone is in the region of R5.4 million a year. It is scandalous that taxpayers’ money is being squandered on propaganda machinery.
“There is a clear link between the owners of TNA - the Guptas, ANC president Jacob Zuma and the newspaper. The ruling party wishes to control the media by funding it.”
The DA this week also highlighted how state departments had failed to account for the massive increase in expenditure amounting to millions of rand on communications during the 2013/14 financial year.
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